What Must Be Done
by Navonod
Summary: AU. Another SHIELD team captured Skye in 1x01, and she was sent to do time at The Fridge because she served Rising Tide. One day Garrett and Ward raid The Fridge and Skye has a new opportunity on the table.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **

**Some minor CA2 spoilers, but I think it's pretty safe. SHIELD has spoiled more.**

* * *

As far as jails go, this had to be one of the better ones. Not that she's been in any before, but any jails she had seen on TV weren't nearly as nice as this one. That didn't make the fact that she was in a jail any better, though. And the fact that this one wasn't even called a jail is kind of stupid, but what could she do about it? All she could do was sit around. Sit around in The Fridge, as it was called. Ironically, her cell had a really nice ventilation system and was never too cold.

Despite the decent accommodation she had in the cell, she yearned for her old life. She yearned for her dingy van and her laptop that she won in a bet and, most importantly, her freedom and the fight for it. It was one of those days where she just wanted to use something electronic. Even a simple game of Angry Birds would satisfy her a bit. She sat on her bed crossed-legged and sighed, resting her head against the cool cement wall.

But c'est la vie. That's how the cookie crumbles. She had already been dealt a rough hand in life, so why should it have stopped a few months ago, when the whole mess began?

When random Mike Peterson and his powers stumbled onto the scene and she saw him as an in. He was what she was waiting for. Okay, so she played him a bit when she offered to help him. She let him believe that she had his best interests in mind. And while she never wanted him or his son to die or anything dramatic, her life's work came first. She needed a way to get to SHIELD and Mike Peterson was the way.

Unfortunately, things didn't go the way she planned. Oh, who was she kidding? She barely had a plan. Things just didn't go the way she would have liked. They never did. She was basically kidnapped from her van by random a SHIELD team as she was in the middle of recording her weekly Rising Tide messages. The SHIELD team's leader and main interrogator was an older man named Agent Hudson, and there was also a woman named Agent Sylvester who may have been pretty once upon a time, but now didn't look nice at all. The SHIELD team had no patience for a Rising Tide hacker who wouldn't cooperate and was more sarcastic than someone in her position should be. Considering she actually had nothing on them and they had surveillance on Mike Peterson, they sent her to face a SHIELD review board.

The review board consisted of a bunch of stern-faced old people dressed in spiffy suits. She was sentenced to five years in The Fridge for her devious hacking deeds as a member of Rising Tide. And before she knew it, she was being hauled to a cell on the seventeenth floor. Her precious van was locked up somewhere in New York, which she would get back when her term was up. Only four and a half more years to go.

* * *

"The paper, Skye," a Fridge guard said gruffly. Normal prisoners would be called by their last names, but considering she didn't have one, everyone called her just Skye. She obviously wasn't a dangerous criminal like some Fridge tenants were. She had heard stories from other prisoners around her who had been there for a while. Crazed people with outrageous powers were floors below her in cramped cells, unable to escape. At least her cell was somewhat spacious and comfortable. But being a safe criminal meant she got others perks too. Semi-decent food, a few books to read, and her favourite thing: a newspaper. It was brought to her by a guard daily, after it had been meticulously read through in case of hidden messages or something suspicious. Not that she ever expected a message. Her boyfriend Miles wouldn't think of putting a message in something so archaic as a printed newspaper. Miles' style would be leaving a cryptic comment on a blog or a tweet or something.

"Thanks," Skye said to the guard, taking the newspaper through the small slot in the heavy door that locked her in.

She lay down on her little cot and opened the paper. Most of the time, the news was boring. Did she really care about some stupid politician doing crack cocaine behind closed doors? No. Did she really care about which sports team beat which, or how many Olympic events were rigged? No. Sure it was news worthy and she didn't mind reading though it as she had nothing better to do, but Skye honestly didn't care.

Today, however, the paper held some information that she was very, very interested in. The cover picture caught her attention right away. It was a shot of three gigantic flying aircrafts in the sky. There was smoke and fire coming off of them. There was also a picture of a blurry figure that was apparently identified as old war hero Captain America. Skye gasped to herself as she read through the article.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of useful information there. Three secret helicariers were apparently compromised and Captain America had to take them down. But Skye knew what this meant. She knew those helicarriers were SHIELD's and she knew that Captain America was involved with the Avengers, so there may be a whole lot more to this story than the paper knew. The fact that the helicarriers were compromised, provided the article was correct, means that there's someone out there that wants SHIELD controlled or taken down. Skye tried to control her smile, as she knew there were surveillance cameras in her room, but she was sure that she knew what was going on, even if the newspapers didn't. The Rising Tide was finally rising to the position they always intended to hold.

Things were changing. Skye just had to wait now.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hi! So this is my first attempt at SHIELD fanfiction. I know this chapter is short, but it's like a prologue thing so the chapters will get longer. I intend to update at least once a week. We'll see how quickly I can crank out chapters. Anyways, thanks for reading and hope you come back!**


	2. Chapter 2

Floor seventeen was buzzing with the news. Every prisoner in The Fridge knew of SHIELD, obviously, and most of them would never side with them. If they did, they likely wouldn't be in SHIELD jail, now would they? All the guards looked worried too. They tried to appear strong for the prisoners, but Skye could see the worry in their eyes and their accusatory glances as they wondered who around them is a double agent. It was thrilling.

* * *

At dinner, Skye sat at the table in the eating room talking with other Fridge prisoners. She had become acquainted with some of them in the past four months. There was Haley, who stalked Tony Stark for a week before breaking into his house, and Rob, who assaulted a SHIELD agent when the agent tried to investigate a neighbour with unnatural strength, and Cara, who accidentally put virus on SHIELD's computers.

"Did you see?" Cara asked Skye when she sat down with a tray of pasta with questionable sauce. "Someone's got it in for SHIELD."

Skye smiled. They had to be careful about what they say during dinner hour as guards were patrolling all over, purposely eavesdropping and keeping people in line.

"Who though?" Rob asked, waving his plastic fork. He didn't have much knowledge on SHIELD or any threats. He was in because of a misunderstanding and was eager to get out without any problems.

"Rising Tide," Skye answered right away. "It has to be. That's what they've been working for. Finally, the time has come." She couldn't help but be proud. As soon as Rising Tide wins, she wins too. Her life's goal would be complete.

"But Rising Tide isn't violent, right? The newspaper showed burning helicarriers," Cara pointed out. Unlike Rob, she had a bit of knowledge on Skye's old group.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess," Skye said, taking a bite of pasta. "Trust me, Rising Tide is behind this."

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow's paper and see," Haley said with a grim smile.

"We do," Skye said, and the other three nodded.

"Who's up for a game of cards?" Cara asked, producing a SHIELD approved deck that they were allowed to use during meals. "Crazy Eights?"

"If you think you can beat me," Skye said confidently. "Bring it."

* * *

It was only one day later when things began changing in a bigger way. Skye simply noticed it. There was a huge shift in the Fridge atmosphere, in the guards especially. They walked stiffer and held their guns tighter. Their eyes were always flicking around, as if they were looking for something. There were new guards brought in, and overall, The Fridge got a whole lot colder.

While other prisoners seemed scared now, Skye felt even more exhilarated. She felt like she played a small part in this uprising. Something big was coming. Not only could she feel it, but just by the way the guards were acting, she could tell things were going to be even more different and soon.

* * *

Sure enough, less than twenty four hours later, it happened. Skye was taking a mid afternoon nap when she felt the building shake. Then there was racket. Footsteps and thumping and shouts. Skye jumped from her cot and tried to look out the thin door slot. She couldn't see much but there were people in Fridge prisoner informs running by.

Suddenly, her view was blocked by someone standing right in front of her door. She backed up as she heard a gun click. With a loud bang, the gun shot and a forceful boot kicked the door open.

"Get out," a man said harshly. He wore all black and was dressed for a raid. He looked fierce and Skye didn't want to associate with him at all, but he was letting her out, so she had to move.

Skye didn't have anything to take, so she darted out of the room and joined the crowd of people all rushing by.

"Cara!" Skye called, spotting Cara's scraggly blonde bob ahead.

Cara turned, her eyes bright.

"Do you smell that, Skye? It's the smell of our premature freedom!"

Skye grinned. "What's happening?"

Cara shrugged. "I don't know. Suddenly these men came in and are busting us all out. All the guards have been shot down! The men are tearing this place up, I've heard people talking."

"What do you mean?"

"They're taking everything and everyone."

"Even the bottom floor people?" Skye gasped. The bottom floor people where only the most psycho of psychopaths, in extreme lock down. They were so dangerous that even the guards were afraid of them.

"Especially the bottom floor people," Cara said.

"Girls," Rob greeted them as he pushed through the crowd of people all trying to escape.

"Ready for freedom, Rob?" Cara asked.

"Heck yes I am," Rob grimaced as he was accidentally elbowed in the rib by a random escapee, in a hurry to leave. "So done with this hole."

They were in a wild mob-like crowd all rushing to the top floor so they could exit. They were almost free.

Skye, Rob and Cara pushed past people, spotting Haley up ahead.

To the side, three men in black uniforms stood, guns cocked and ready. They watched the mob move on by and looked rather pleased with what was happening. As Skye and the group got closer, she heard what they were saying to each other.

"...Agent Garrett needed it..."

"...SHIELD can't react. Hydra infiltrated almost all of it..."

Skye stopped in her tracks making five people bump into her.

"Did you hear that? Hydra? Isn't that the old Nazi group that Captain America fought in World War Two?" Skye asked her acquaintances in a whisper.

"I don't know," Rob said, grabbing her arm. They were about to exit the room to the stairwell. "Nor do I care. Let's go!"

Skye shook off Rob's grasp and ran up to the three men, cutting through the flow of people.

"Who's in charge of all this?" Skye demanded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cara, Rob and Haley disappear from view in the mass of eagerly escaping people. She knew that she may never see them again and for a moment she wanted to run after them and escape with them, but she had bigger issues.

The three men held their guns to Skye.

"What's it to you?" one asked gruffly.

"Is it Rising Tide?" Skye persisted, keeping her voice steady.

"No...Hydra," he said slowly, but flashed a dark smile to show how proud he was to be a part of a group with such notoriety.

"Hydra? That's not possible," Skye said, but refrained from saying more when the second man adjusted his gun that was still pointed at her chest. She took a breath and tried to look strong. "What's happening to SHIELD?"

"Ending. Look, girlie, you're being set free. Go."

Skye shook her head. "No, I need something. I'm from The Rising Tide. Take me to who's in charge. Now," she said firmly, even though the last word was a risk.

The men glanced at each other.

"Take her to Garrett then," the first one said.

The third man roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall. The place was a mess. A few dead or trampled bodies, messes of broken walls, weapons lying around. Suddenly the fancy Fridge didn't seem so fancy.

Skye was led ten floors down. She had never been down there was glad that they man escorting her had a loaded gun, even if she didn't trust him at all.

"Where's Garrett?" the man said loudly to another man up ahead. He had his back to them, but he stood with a carefree air. He was obviously important.

"Busy," the man said, turning. "Why?"

"He's got a...visitor," Skye's entourage said, shoving her forward.

Skye looked at the new man. He had dark hair and dark eyes, but what was most prominent about him was his defined cheekbones. The guy looked Skye dead in the eye as if he wasn't afraid of anything. He may be considered handsome if he didn't look like he wanted to punch everyone in the face.

"Who's she?" he asked. Skye frowned at his use of 'she' when he could have asked her directly instead.

"Some Rising Tide girl who demands to see Garrett."

"Rising Tide?" The cheekbone guy suddenly seemed interested and he glanced back at her.

"You've heard of us?" Skye couldn't help but sound impressed.

"I had some run-ins with them a few months ago," he said nonchalantly. "How are you with them?"

"I'm a hacker," Skye said with a small smile. She had a feeling that people in an environment like this would appreciate her skills.

Cheekbone guy grunted and waved away the man who brought Skye downstairs.

"What do you want?" Cheekbone guy asked, his eyes fixed on Skye's.

"I need to talk to your leader," Skye said firmly. "It's about SHIELD."

"No," cheekbone guy said without considering it. "We're busy and you're irrelevant."

"Ward!" another voice said from around the corner. A man came forward. He looked like a a regular guy, on the older side, and wearing bulletproof clothes over a black turtleneck sweater. He, however, looked cheery and content, as if all of the chaos around them wasn't happening. "Look what I found! It's a...oh! My bad! It seems you've found something too!" the new guy's eyes landed on Skye. "And she's a cutie!"

Cheekbone guy, or 'Ward' as Turtleneck guy called him, frowned.

"She's Rising Tide," Ward said as if that explained Skye's presence.

"Is she now?" Turtleneck guy said, rather surprised, and, as Skye was pleased to see, impressed.

"I'm Skye," she said. Manners first.

"John Garrett, Hydra."

* * *

**A/N**

**Leave it to me to start writing a fic the same week where I have 1001 other things to do! Anyways, I've gotten such a positive response from chapter 1 so thank you so much! Like I said, this is my first SHIELD fic so to know that people are enjoying it is awesome! **


	3. Chapter 3

Skye sat in a little office area. It had awful lighting and it felt like a wine cellar, but that was all she knew about it. She had been blindfolded and handcuffed when she was brought over.

After she had introduced herself to John Garrett back at The Fridge, she explained that she demanded to talk to him. Maybe it was the fact that she had said she was Rising Tide and he seemed to be interested, but he had simply smiled and said she would be more than welcome to have a chat with him in his office.

"You're in charge of her," Garrett had said to Ward, who looked extremely displeased with the new task of escorting her back onto a helicopter and then blindfolding and handcuffing her so she wouldn't see where the helicopter was going or harm them. Only when she was sitting on a small wooden chair was the blindfold and the cuffs taken off. She sat in front of a desk covered with papers and maps and official looking things. She waited for Garrett and resisted the urge to quickly look through the papers. She was self-admittedly nosy.

"Nothing like a good cup of coffee to celebrate a successful raid!" Garrett said coming into the room with a mug in his hand. Ironically, the mug had a SHIELD logo on it. Garrett sat down in a spinning office chair on the other side of the desk and looked at Skye.

"So. You wanted to talk. Go at it," he said.

"My whole life has been a trip. I've been looking for something. SHIELD has what I need and-"

"Listen, girl, if you're here to tell me that I shouldn't take down SHIELD you might as well take a gun and shoot yourself and save me the trouble of getting up," Garrett interrupted.

"No! By all means, take down SHIELD. But let me help. I need what I need and I won't rest until I get it."

"Oh, you'll rest if I kill you. But I won't. Yet." Garrett took a long sip of coffee. "What is it exactly that you are needing from SHIELD?"

"Files," Skye said. "SHIELD redacted a bunch of files that I need. If I can just get into the system, I can find it."

Garrett chuckled. "Well, unfortunately, there are a few dedicated SHIELD agents probably securing their servers right as we speak. We haven't quite gotten that far yet."

"Will you soon though?" Skye asked. Maybe Hydra wasn't as good as she assumed.

"One step at a time, baby," Garrett said with that casual teasing tone that was starting to get creepy. He must have seen the slight look of disgust in Skye's face because he sat up a bit and looked her in the eyes. "Here's the deal. As of now, I don't have access to the files. But if Hydra's plans keep being completed successfully, I'm sure that we'll have access to every dirty little secret that SHIELD has ever tried to keep."

"Awesome," Skye nodded.

"But you're just a random girl. I don't know anything about you. I'm involved in some of the most secretive business in the world. You were blindfolded on the way over here, right? So why on earth would I let you in at all?"

"Well for one, you won't have to worry about me telling people because I have more fingers than friends," Skye said. That was incredibly honest, too. "I don't have any family either."

"But you're from Rising Tide. Though it's not much of a competition because Hydra is leagues ahead, you are still a threat. A tiny little blip on our radar."

"Rising Tide was just a way for me to get to SHIELD. Rising Tide's principle of getting info out to the public drew me in, and my skills were needed there."

"Your hacking skills? So you're good at hacking? And where would a young, pretty girl like you learn such skills? Surely not wild parties or raves or whatever it is the kids do these days."

"My boyfriend taught me everything he knew. I had a knack for it," Skye answered.

"So you have a boyfriend. How do I know he won't lead to Hydra's demise?" Garrett asked, eyes narrowed.

Skye paused. Shoot, this one will be a bit harder to explain. "He won't. He's a good guy. I mean, I don't know. I don't even think we're still together. I haven't seen him in like four months because I was sent to The Fridge. He's probably moved on or something..."

"How involved was he with Rising Tide?" Garrett asked, although Skye was sure he knew the answer already.

"Very."

Garrett made a 'tsk' sound and took a long sip of coffee. It was as if he was waiting for Skye to say more, to defend her case. She took the chance.

"Please. I can help you. I don't care about Miles or anything. I care about this. So what if I got all my skills from Rising Tide? The point is I'm good. And... I have nothing left. SHIELD still has my van somewhere."

"Your van?"

"Yes, I lived in a van. All my computer stuff and everything I own are in it." So she was playing the pity card a bit. She needed it. Luckily, he seemed to be buying it.

"I'll make you a deal. I want to see if you have the skills you claim to have. I'll have a group of my computer guys set up a few tests for you. If you pass and prove useful to Hydra, you can stick around. As a bonus, I'll even have you trained to fire a gun and stuff because I think that's a skill that everyone should have. As long as you don't shoot me!" Garrett laughed and Skye managed a polite chuckle. "But if you fail, then I set you up with a fun little machine that'll wipe your memory of this whole event and I'll drop you off in the middle of Australia."

"I'm not from Australia," Skye said, rather confused.

"Precisely." Garrett smiled. "So do we have a deal."

Skye nodded right away. "Yes. Thank you so much." She was confident in her hacking abilities. She had to pass the test. It was the only way.

Two hours later, Skye was still waiting for her test to be ready. She was still sitting by Garrett's office, bored out of her brain. She had already made a chain of paperclips and braided her hair into five little braids and counted ceiling tiles. Once a random guy had came in but left as soon as he saw that Garrett wasn't there.

Finally a lady came in. She had short curly black hair and wore a cool flowered dress. She walked up to Skye and gave a small smile.

"You're Skye, right? Come with me," the lady said, turning swiftly as Skye trotted after her.

The lady led her down a hall to a small, dank room where a few computers and machines were set up.

"Right here," the lady said, motioning for Skye to sit in a chair. Skye sat down and cracked her knuckles, getting ready for the test.

"Okay so this is just a few basic tests. Firmwalls, viruses, encryption and a bit more. You have an hour to do it all. Good luck." The lady gave Skye what she assumed to be a motivational smile, but was really just a weird grimace. This lady looked like she underestimated Skye, which only made Skye want to prove her wrong. She could do this.

* * *

Thirty six minutes later, Skye's eyes hurt from the screen. She had been staring at it with wide eyes and refused even readjust her legs because her left foot was falling asleep. Her fingers flew across the keyboard and she was muttering to herself. She was in the zone, and nothing would distract her.

Two minutes and thirty six seconds later, she had completed it all.

"Done!" she shouted, mostly to herself. She blinked and grinned.

"You made good time," a voice said. Skye look to the left and saw Ward leaning casually against the wall. He looked at his watch.

"How long have you been there?" Skye asked. She didn't notice him come in the room, but that being said, she was so focused on the test that she probably wouldn't have noticed if a bomb went off.

"Fifteen minutes or so," he answered.

"Are you into hacking too?" Skye asked.

He shook his head. "Not at all. I'm a specialist. I do the physical stuff."

"Have you ever killed a guy?"

"Yes." He didn't seem to want to say any more on the subject.

The flowery dress lady came in suddenly. She raised an eyebrow at Ward, but then turned to Skye.

"You've finished already? That's outstanding" she said in her smooth voice. She looked like her face was frozen in a look of permanent seduction and Skye had to wonder what her face would look like if she was actually trying to seduce someone.

"With time to spare," Skye smiled. "So I'm in now right? There's no more tests?"

"Not with time like that, that's right," Garrett said, strolling into the room. He motioned to the flower dress lady. "Skye, meet Raina. She was from Centipede."

"Oh, I know about them," Skye smiled.

"Rising Tide knew about them but SHIELD didn't?" Ward asked incredulously.

"Ward, it's because SHIELD is a bunch of moronic superhero wannabes," Garrett said. "They don't know anything."

"Woah, do I sense hostility or what?" Skye joked, but Ward and Raina just stared at her.

"So now we have Centipede and Rising Tide and SHIELD on our team. I feel like that Misfit Island," Garrett said with a head shake and eye roll. "Anyways, Raina, go find Kaminsky for me. He's been driving me insane with his enthusiasm, so he'll be in charge of training Skye. That'll get him out of my hair a bit," Garrett said with a smirk and Raina hurried off.

"And I see you've met Ward, my right hand man. I was his Supervising Officer, or SO, back in the day," Garrett said to Skye. "But now, Ward and I have to go. Kaminsky will show you around and stuff."

"Awesome," Skye said with a smile.

Garrett and Ward turned and began to leave the room.

"Oh, Skye?" Ward stopped and turned suddenly just as he was at the doorway. Skye looked at him, surprised. He had a small smirk on his face, as if he was just slightly amused.

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to Hydra."

* * *

**A/N**

**Oops am I making Kaminsky a main character? Haha he just amused me so yes he will be in this story in a way, but not a main. Anyways, thanks again for all the love this story and I have gotten. It makes me smile so much and cancels out the feelings of deep despair that the show gives me. LOL**

**The next chapter may or may not tie into the next episode (it depends where the episode goes and how my plot is working out), so naturally, it won't be out for a week or so. Unfortunately, after the episode airs, I'll be without wifi for a few days, so I'll be writing the chapter but I can't exactly predict when I'll post it. As soon as possible, though, I swear! Thanks for your support and see you soon! **


	4. Chapter 4

Kaminsky led Skye all around the base. It was exactly what she thought, a big dank basement under some fake barbershop. The place was sectioned off with large sheets of plastic, which Skye thought wasn't very classy for a big name group like Hydra. But it seemed to be under control and very strict.

Kaminsky showed her where the tools and weapons were stored, a little kitchen area where a bunch of men were eating sloppy mac and cheese, and the little lab area, where scientists were busy doing something that Skye didn't even want to try to understand. Kaminsky told her that they were busy doing research on some drug tests and tracking some SHIELD people.

He showed her the area where the soldiers train and workout.

"We'll go there later, okay? You need to know how to shoot," he told her with a smile.

Skye totally understood what Garrett had said about Kaminsky's enthusiasm. He grinned a lot, seemed very proud of the work being done by Hydra, and Skye could totally picture him as a museum tour guide because he did the job perfectly. His passion was kind of refreshing considering the only other people she had met, Ward and Raina, hardly seemed like enjoyable people, and Garrett's smiles were more creepy than anything.

"Let me show you to your room!" Kaminsky said, opening a door at the end of a long hallway to reveal a small dingy room. "Unfortunately, we didn't plan for you joining so the only room we have is being used as storage. There's a cot and some changes of clothes and a toothbrush in the drawer, so just ignore the boxes and stuff. But it's near Raina's room so you guys could bond or whatever girls do!"

Skye scoffed. "I don't think she'll be up for that."

Kaminsky chuckled. "Anyways, the tour is up. So now let's go play with guns! Have you ever used one?"

"A water gun and a paintball gun, but that's about it," Skye said.

Kaminsky laughed. "Don't tell people that or you may get shot. No worries, I'll teach you and by the end, you'll be able to hold your own."

"Cool," Skye said with a nod.

* * *

"Here, we'll start small," Kaminsky said, handing Skye a small black gun. It was heavier than Skye thought and she was almost afraid to hold it.

"The thing with guns is that they're not like the movies. There is some recoil. But these guns are specially designed to be easy. Secret organizations have the best secret technology, it's awesome!"

"Are there bullets in this one?" Skye asked, shaking the gun, but didn't hear any rattle.

"No way! You're a first timer!" Kaminsky said. "Okay, so first, take the gun and hold it so your index finger is on one side along it and the rest of your hand on the other side, now take your left hand and kind of support your right hand. Have your thumbs together."

Kaminsky had a gun in his hands too. He was demonstrating for her, and she tried to copy the form.

"Does that feel comfortable?" he asked.

"I have a weapon in my hands. A weapon that's likely been responsible for death. No it's not comfortable. I'm freaking out!" Skye said, only half joking.

"You're doing great!" Kaminsky praised her.

"Am I doing a bang-up job?" Skye laughed. "That was a gun joke."

He laughed too. "Oh that's funny! I have to use that!"

It eased the tension. Skye pushed her hair behind her ears and took a deep breath. "Okay, so what's next?"

"I'm going to put a few bullets in your gun and you can take some shots. How good do you think your aim is?" Kaminsky took Skye's gun an opened it so he could slide the bullets in."

"I don't know. I have a pretty good shot with an elastic, and you know, when I play streetball, I don't airball it much..."

"Well, here's hoping you're a female Ward," Kaminsky said, handing Skye back the gun.

"Ward? What about him?"

"He's got crazy good aim, and had it before he got to Hydra. That's just what I heard, at least. No one's going to ask him."

Kaminsky led Skye to some large targets. They were shaped like a human torso and there were already some bullet holes and dents in it.

Skye stood up straight and held out the gun, her arms straight. She put her index finger on the trigger and tried to steady her shaking hands.

"Keep some tension," Kaminsky advised, "and look along the gun to the target."

Skye did as he said, and after some deep breaths, she was about to pull the trigger.

"Stop!" a voice boomed.

Skye and Kaminsky turned around to see Ward standing there. He was frowning.

"Kaminsky, you moron, are you trying to get her killed?" Ward asked, striding toward them. He grabbed the gun from Skye, even though she protested with a "what the-? hey!"

"Look at her feet," Ward said, ignoring Skye. All three of them looked down at Skye's feet. She wore old, dirty running shoes. "They're together. You need to spread your legs."

Skye couldn't help but smirk at this. "That's not very gentlemanly of you," she said.

Ward stared at her as if he wanted to reply but didn't.

"And her arms are stiffer than a plank of wood," Ward said to Kaminsky, who now looked ashamed and embarrassed. Ward probably intimidated him.

"If she went out into the real world and tried to shoot like that in a fight, she would die," Ward said pointedly to Kaminsky. "I know you're not an idiot, Kaminsky, but this is really disappointing. I'll be taking control of Skye's gun training. You need to brush up on things if you hope to survive too."

"Yes sir," Kaminsky replied sadly. "Best of luck," he said to Skye before walking away and out of sight.

Skye didn't speak. She didn't know what to say. Ward watched Kaminsky leave then turned to her.

"You're going to learn this right," he said, and Skye nodded. He handed the gun back to her. "The only correct thing you were doing was the hold on the gun. Your legs need to be apart. Shoulder width. It's for balance. And bend your knees a bit."

Skye shuffled her feet apart.

Ward put a hand on her shoulder and forcefully shoved her backwards, but kept his grip on her so she didn't fall. She did stumble a bit and looked at him with questioning eyes.

"If your legs were together and stiff, you would have fallen. With your legs apart and bent, you have easier movement and can hold your balance. This is also important for guns with bigger recoil so you don't fall," Ward explained gruffly.

"Now take the gun and hold it halfway between your body and your arm's reach. Keep your arms in."

"You're kidding right? I feel like I'm doing the chicken dance," Skye said, flapping her partly folded arms like wings.

"No, Skye, this is serious. Do you want to do this or not?" Ward frowned.

"Yes, I do. But at least Kaminsky was nice about it," Skye muttered, hazarding a glance to meet his eyes. They were emotionless and dark.

"Make your wrists tight and locked, but your arms loose," Ward said, putting his hands on her forearms. He had large, cold hands, but Skye's arms moved to do what he was making them do.

"Now tilt the gun slightly, and take your aim," Ward instructed, stepping back.

Just as Skye was about to pull the tigger, she was interrupted again.

"Ward! Good news!" Garrett said, approaching them.

"Jeeze, can I get at least one shot in?" Skye groaned, waving her gun.

"Where's Kaminsky?" Garrett asked, noticing Skye and her weapon.

"He was doing an insufficient job, sir, so I took matters into my own hands," Ward said.

Garrett shrugged, but the his face brightened. "We may have found Coulson and his team. Satellite images have them somewhere in northern Canada."

Ward stiffened up. "So now what?"

"We monitor them," Garrett said. "And then you'll go in."

"Fine," Ward nodded.

"Great. Are you busy now? I need you for something."

Ward looked to Skye then back at Garrett. "No, what is it?"

Garrett and Ward walked away from Skye, leaving her alone with the gun.

"Great lesson! Thanks!" she sarcastically called after them. She replaced the gun where Kaminsky had gotten it from then wondered off to her small room.

* * *

Skye was awoken by someone in her room and the light being flicked on. She sat bolt right up and tried not to scream.

"Oh! Sorry! Woah!" It was Ward. His eyes were wide at the sight of Skye. "I, uh, forgot you have this, um, room."

"What are you doing here?" Skye asked, pulling the thin sheets up around her, even though she wasn't naked at all.

"Um, I came to get some supplies," Ward said, waving his arm at the stack of boxes and crates and files that took up half of Skye's room.

"Oh. Okay," Skye said, running a hand through her hair. "What happened to your face?" His face was bruised and cut, as if he was in fierce battle only moments ago.

"Garrett."

"Garrett did that?" Skye gasped.

"It was to make me more believable. I'm fine," Ward said, offering a weird grimace.

"Cool, well, turn off the light when you're done. Good night." Skye said, yawning.

Ward chuckled. "More like good morning. You have to get up. Someone was probably going to come wake you soon anyways. We have a mission and you're coming."

Skye's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes. You're apparently one of our best hackers. Garrett says you're definitely an asset on an important mission like this."

"I am?" Skye smiled, not because she was involved but because her skills were being appreciated.

"Yup! Get up and I'll get you suited up," Ward said.

Skye scrambled out of bed. "Give me three minutes to brush my teeth."

* * *

"Here's the plan," Garrett said in a booming voice to the group of Hydra agents who were ready to go. "Ward is going to find Coulson and his team and buddy up to them. On his signal, the hackers are going in, guarded by two armed men, and are stealing files from their plane. If things go wrong, shoot his team and leave, we'll try again. If things go right, shoot the team and bring me that plane. It's a nice plane, so that'll be quite a win for us."

Skye adjusted the bullet-proof vest she was given to wear.

Ward moved to stand next to her as they loaded onto a small plane.

"Just try not to die today. And pretend that you know how to use a gun. In this business, how you act can be very convincing."

* * *

**A/N**

**I owe y'all an apology. I know I said the next chapter would be up ASAP but oops it's been over two weeks. BUT I do have some reasons for that, so if you're curious, keep reading. For one, after 1x21 aired, I went to NYC for five days on a school trip. I expected to have time to write, but I was so busy and tired and every time I did have an hour or so that I could use, my phone (where I do all my writing) was always low and I didn't want to use up all my power. Then when I came back, I needed two days to catch up on the TV shows and homework I missed. And now here we are. The only reason you're getting this chapter now is because I have a few days off because of Prom. **

**Anyways, I have to admit, I'm kind of glad I was forced to wait until after the finale because I wanted my story to be, in a way, the plots of S1 in a different order. Well, okay, maybe that's not the best way to describe it, but I wanted all my facts to be canon. For example, I didn't want to make up Ward's backstory when the show would provide me a canon one, you know? And I know this is AU, but I still wanted it to be correct. Anyways, since there's no way that I'm putting this on hiatus until September to wait for more plots to come to an end, so sooner or later my story won't be following the show's general story. Maybe...I'm not the best with long term planning...**

**So long blah blah story short, I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I don't think it'll happen again, but if it does it's just because silly real life got in the way. Love you and thanks for your support!**


	5. Chapter 5

Canada is cold. Freezing cold. It's probably useless that guns are banned here because their fingers are likely too numb to pull the trigger.

Skye stood, shivering, in some white capped bushes, waiting. Just waiting. For who knows how long. This was not what she signed up for.

Raina was with them, waiting in the snow, but she wore a luxurious fur-lined coat and hardly looked chilled.

Ward had gone into some hidden base. He was probably sitting by a fire drinking hot chocolate. He had been in there for an hour and all the other Hydra people on the mission were just waiting outside for his signal.

"What's the hold up?" Skye asked outloud, glad her teeth weren't chattering. Yet.

Kaminsky was standing near her, by chance. "Ward has to make sure it's safe for us to get in."

"Why wouldn't it be safe? Raina said there was like seven people in there."

"Seven people who are stronger than they look," he replied. "Don't worry, Ward can handle it."

"I'm not worried for Ward," Skye scoffed. "I'm worried for myself. I think I just caught hypothermia."

* * *

Contact from Ward came twenty minutes later; Raina got a small beeping signal on a small phone-like device, and ten minutes later, a hidden doorway in a snowy rock opened up. Ward met them at the doorway, standing in the shadows. The only way Skye saw him at first was because there was a reflective glint from a lanyard hanging around his neck. His face was straight with focus. He glared at them as they filed in, almost daring them to make a sound. Skye looked ahead and moved quietly and quickly.

Whoever was at the front of the line took them down some hallways to a huge hangar. In the middle sat a huge black plane with SHIELD logos on the sides.

The plane was already open for them, courtesy of Ward, most likely. They filed in quietly. Garrett was right, it was a super nice plane. Fit for Tony Stark or something. However, it was all broken and shattered inside as if it was recently a war zone.

"Dang," Skye said, looking around, both impressed at the niceness of the plane and disgusted at the messy state.

"Shush," someone behind her said, poking her back with the front of a gun.

They moved into a small, lab-like room. Everything was extremely high-tech. Skye started to doubt her skills when she realized that she was the only one who looked totally flabbergasted at their awesome surroundings.

A few of the tech guys started booting up the computer and Skye was amazed to see the screen become 3D and interactive. She knew technology like that existed, but she had yet to use it herself. Her whole computer life had been spent on a normal laptop she won in a bet.

"Skye, get camera surveillance up," someone instructed her. She got to work using the laptops that they all had with them. They were already programmed to get by the first level of SHIELD protection. The server was fast and she managed to get the camera feed up quickly.

"We're on," Skye said, her fingers still flying across the keyboard. "All clear, too."

No one said anything in reply and she got no further instruction. Raina and everyone else were busy typing or swiping and the guards were busy making sure the halls were clear.

With no one monitoring her, Skye took the opportunity to work on her own mission. She was already on SHIELD's line, so the first step was done. She tried to get past the next barrier and get into the files from the whole SHIELD network, not just what was from the plane.

Just as she started the hack, she noticed movement on the cameras, which were on a minimized screen. Two blurry figures were moving and they didn't look like any of the Hydra group.

"Someone's here," Skye said loudly, minimizing the screens of her hack.

"Guns ready," some one said in a low voice, and Skye quickly put her hand on the gun she had at her hip.

"We haven't gotten what we need yet," Raina said urgently.

The three guards with them hurried off, leaving the five of them to continue with the computers. There were gunshots fired somewhere. Skye held her gun in her hand and aimed it at the doorway.

Ward came in.

He looked stern and frantic all at once. He held a gun in his hands too and Skye wondered if it were his shots that they heard.

"Get out now. They know. Leave as fast as you can," he said.

"But we're not done here," Raina said, glancing at the screens.

"You'll die if you stay. Go now," Ward insisted and then he hurried off.

They all started grabbing their laptops and things and shoving them into their bags. It became every man for themselves.

Skye held her gun and tried to run through the plane hallways. She had an awful sense of direction and had no idea where she was headed. That's what happens when you rely on a GPS too much, you can't live without one when it matters.

She hurried down a dim hall, trying to keep her gun up but failing because she was too focused on trying to figure out where she was going.

"Freeze! Or I'll shoot!" a voice said from the left. The voice didn't sound so steady, though. Skye turned to see a girl around her age standing in a doorway. She pointed a gun at Skye, but Skye's gun wasn't up. Dang.

The girl had red-brown hair that was perfectly straight and she dressed like she worked in an office, with her proper blouse and prim blazer. The gun seemed so unnatural to in her hands. Skye knew she wasn't from Hydra.

"Are you from SHIELD?" the girl asked and Skye picked up on a British accent.

Skye didn't reply.

"Are you with Hydra?" the girl asked in a shaky voice.

"Maybe," Skye replied but mentally slapped herself for such a stupid reply. She wished her gun was up too, but she knew if she moved, the girl would likely shoot her.

"Jemma!" another voice said and a boy also around her age ran up and stood next to the girl. He didn't have a gun so he stood behind the girl.

The girl, Jemma, looked at the boy for a second, and in that second Skye whipped her gun up. There, now it was somewhat more fair of a fight.

"I don't want to shoot you," Skye said, trying to sound threatening. And she meant that, she didn't want to shoot, mostly because she didn't know how.

"Is she Hydra?" the boy asked Jemma. He had a Scottish accent. Why did they all have accents?

"Yes," Jemma nodded. She clicked her tongue. "So young too."

"I'm older than I look," Skye said for some reason. She didn't owe them an explanation. She waved her gun a bit to try to make herself look stronger than she felt and to remind them that she had a loaded gun.

"Shoot her," the boy said to Jemma.

"Oh, but Fitz, she's so young! I can't do that," Jemma said.

Fitz shook his head and stared at Skye.

"Don't shoot me," Skye shouted quickly. "I'm not really with Hydra. I need info."

"On what?" Jemma asked.

At that moment, Ward came in, followed by an angry Asian lady and some other guy with a combover. Both had guns pointed at Ward, who had a gun pointed back, but only at the Asian lady.

"You don't deserve that lanyard," the man said to Ward.

Fitz and Jemma both turned to see them, and Skye took her chance to run. She attempted to dash down the hall, but then she heard Jemma gasp.

"Skye!" Ward yelled, seeing her there.

Skye turned back to see the Asian lady grab Ward's arms forcefully, making him drop his gun.

She was focused on that so she notice someone else come up from the other side, cornering her.

"Trip!" Jemma gasped.

A shot was fired.

Then the world went cold.

* * *

When Skye awoke, her head was pounding and she was freezing cold. It didn't help that she was lying awkwardly on the floor of some dark room. She had no idea what to do. She slowly tilted her head.

"Skye?" a voice said from across the room.

Skye groaned and sat up as she tried to see. Her vision was wonky too.

"Ward?" His figure got clearer. She blinked rapidly.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Where are we?" Skye looked around. The walls were a dull purple-ish colour and was panelled with weird hexagon shapes. There was a table and two chairs and a cot in the room. Ward sat on the cot against the wall, just watching her.

"The interrogation room on the Bus," Ward said.

"What?"

"The plane is called a bus."

"That is extremely stupid," Skye declared, pushing her hair back and taking off the bullet proof vest she wore. It was heavy. "Why are we here?"

"You couldn't escape quick enough and neither could I," Ward huffed.

"I was shot...I think."

"With an ICER. You're fine. You were out for a few hours."

"My head is killing me."

"That's an effect."

"And I'm freezing."

"Well, I think this place is air conditioned, but-"

He was cut off by Skye standing up and moving to sit down on the cot next to him.

"Oh, jeeze, you're hardly any warmer. Is your skin a sheet of cold metal?" Skye said as her shoulder touched his arm. That's how close they were.

Ward didn't reply.

"So how are we getting out of here?" Skye asked. There was no handle on the door so simply leaving wasn't an option.

Ward shrugged. "I don't know."

Skye sighed and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Well, if I'm going to be stuck in here with anyone, at least it's you."

Ward turned and looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" Was there a hint of amusement in his voice?

"It's supposed to mean that I have no idea what's going on at all. I spent months in prison and clearly some crazy stuff's gone down. And you seem to have a better grasp on what's happening."

"Why were you in prison?" Ward asked, sounding simply curious.

"None of your business."

They sat quietly for a while. Despite Skye claiming that Ward was cold, he did have some body heat and she was warming up somewhat in their close proximity.

"I'll make you a deal," Skye said, breaking the silence. "I'll tell you my riveting story, including why I was in SHIELD prison, if you tell me yours."

"You don't want to hear my story," Ward said, shaking his head.

"I sure do! I've been here for a day and I've already heard rumours about you!"

Ward breathed a light laugh. "Maybe so, but I'm not telling you anything."

Skye sighed and rested her head on her knees. It was a long shot anyways. He hardly seemed like the kind of person to open up much. "Whatever." She started playing with her hair that fell in front of her face, twisting it with her fingers.

Ward spoke again. "Oh, alright fine. But you first. And keep your voice down and try not to move your mouth as much. They could be listening or watching right now."

Skye lifted her head and smiled at him. With his eyes cast down, he gave a weird half smile back, as if his face physically prevented him from smiling any further, no matter how hard he tried. It was endearing, but odd.

"Okay so my story. I was an orphan that inexplicably never stayed in a new home for longer than a few months so I lived at an orphanage mostly. When I was sixteen I ditched high school and lived in a van. I had a few retail jobs but I found my true calling when I was eighteen. I met Miles, my boyfriend but I haven't seen him in like half a year so I think we're over, and he took my basic interest in computers and taught me so much more. We bonded over our desire to release information to the world and our angst. I became a really good hacker. And we got noticed by Rising Tide, which was great. You see, my whole life has been revolving around one thing: my search for myself. I'm an orphan! I don't even know my real name. I wanted to know who my parents were. But no one had records. I had to do some serious hacking to get any info, but even that wasn't enough because all my searching led to one thing: redacted SHIELD files. And that's how I got into prison. I met Mike Peterson, a dude with powers, and tried to use him as my in to SHIELD, but it failed and I was sent to The Fridge. I was there for about six months and then you guys came. When I heard that you guys were trying to control SHIELD, I figured that Hydra would be able to get me the redacted files. I have skills so your guy Garrett let me stay and he said he'll try to get me files. And now here we are. The end." Skye smiled up at Ward, who looked deeply interested in her story.

He noticed her looking at him and he looked away. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, my story is kind of like yours, actually."

"Go on then. Let me in on all of your deep secrets," Skye joked and nudged him with her shoulder.

"I grew up in Massachusetts. Two brothers, one older and one younger, and a sister. My older brother was a bully and I was bullied into being a bully to my younger brother. The really screws with a kid, so as soon as I could, I left and joined the military. But that only made me weirder. I had all these strengths and skills, and so I stole a car drove home and tried to...burn down my house. I was sent to jail and right before I was tried, Garrett came. Totally random. He basically gave me a chance to leave and not be a screw-up. So he took me and left me in a forest for months. I had to learn to survive on my own, but I thrived in the end. I owe him my all. Garrett revealed to me that he works for Hydra and is working undercover with SHIELD. So I did the same. I worked my way up and then was put on a team with Coulson. That was perfect. So for half a year I was with these four people. You saw them all just before. Fitzsimmons, that guy and girl, May, the Asian with reflexes like a cat, and then Coulson. They were my team but I was loyal to Garrett the whole time. Only today did secrets get out. They never suspected me until now, but that was due to careful planning."

"Hold up. You just betrayed your team? The people who trusted you?" Skye interrupted. How does one do that?

Ward turned to her, frowning. "I don't need your judgement," he said harshly. Skye noticed his fists clench and she knew she hit a nerve.

"Sorry, sorry. But...do you have any regrets?" Skye asked, trying to sound more curious than accusatory.

Ward sighed. "I don't know. I did my best to not get attached."

"But...?"

"But Fitzsimmons are like two puppies and Coulson is truly a good guy."

"And May?" Skye asked. "She looked pissed. Like lasers could shoot out her eyes."

"No, I think only Deathlok can do that."

"Who?"

Ward suddenly gave his little smile thing. "That's right, you haven't seen him yet. I forget that you've only been around for like a day. It feels like you've been here longer."

"I hope that's a good thing," Skye said, stretching out her legs.

"Do you want to play cards?" Ward asked suddenly.

"Yes. Do you have any?"

Ward smirked and reached into a small pocket of his vest. He pulled out a small deck of cards.

"Why on earth do you carry those around?" Skye asked as they went to sit at the table in the room.

"I've been trapped in more than a few rooms before and I got bored. Solitaire is fine, but it's good to finally have someone to play something else with," he smiled at her and dealt the cards. "Coulson and May took all my guns and amo and weapons on my person when they tossed us in here but they left these, thankfully."

"I'm a fierce player," Skye warned with a grin.

"Me too."

* * *

**A/N**

**Hehe am I giving you feels yet? **

**Okay I'd like to officially issue an apology for the rest of this fic in regards to any technical things that I am failing at. Like last chapter when I had Skye learning about a gun, I had to look up that stuff and IDK how accurate it is. I'm Canadian, I hardly know what a gun is! :P And same goes for anything technology-related. I'll do my best to make it all correct, but if I'm wrong, many apologies. **

**Also, I have to ask, would y'all prefer that I update on a certain day of the week (which day?) or whenever I finish a chapter (which is usually once a week)? **

**Man, this hiatus is getting to me. I miss the show so much! This fic is what's keeping me sane...ish. Anyhoo, again**, **thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support and love I've been getting. It's so awesome! **


	6. Chapter 6

They must have played cards for three hours. That seems like a long time, but they literally had nothing better to do. And it was fun.

He didn't talk much, Skye found. He'd occasionally pipe in with some dry remark or to disagree with an opinion of hers, but Skye did most of the chatting. Random topics of course. New movies, Tony Stark's awesomeness and is tomato a fruit or a vegetable, to name a few. It was light and easy and being trapped in some weird room didn't feel like a danger anymore. One thing she noticed through, was his refusal to smile. She was always smiling and joking but he would at most grimace or the corner of his mouth would twitch up, but he never fully smiled. It was weird.

The big problem came when it got late. Or, what Skye could guess was late because neither of them had a watch. So technically, the problem came when she got tired. Her yawns were more frequent and even Ward started doing it too. But there was only one cot.

Skye had spent some time on the floor when she was unconscious, and she did not want to do that again, but she wasn't going to make Ward do it either.

"So, um..." Skye had began slowly, not exactly sure what to say.

"Just take it," Ward cut in flatly.

Skye smiled gratefully. "Really?"

"I've slept in worse places," Ward said.

"You can have it tomorrow, if we're still here," Skye told him. "You don't think we'll still be here though, right?"

Ward shrugged. "Who knows. All I can say is that there is two ways out. That door and that hatch up there that will literally suck you out if we're in the air." He pointed up and Skye could see a the outline of a door on the ceiling.

"Well, goodnight then," Skye said, lying down on the cot. She had turned so her back was to him and she faced the wall. She fell asleep pretty easy.

* * *

Skye woke several hours later but without a clock, she had no idea how long she was out for. The first thing she saw was Ward on the ground doing push-ups. He had taken off the bullet proof vest he had on the day before and left it on the floor next to hers. Through the black shirt he wore, she could see his back and shoulder muscles flexing as he moved. Nice.

"How many are you up to? Twenty?" Skye asked, her voice weirdly loud in the silence.

Ward almost jumped. He looked over but quickly regained his stony composure, almost glaring at her for startling him.

"Sorry. I meant to say, Good morning Ward. How many push-ups have you done so far? More than ten?" She couldn't contain the extra sweet voice she used, just because she found it amusing to push his buttons and that look of annoyance on his face made her uncomfortable.

"Seventy nine," he replied, turning so he was sitting.

"I'm impressed," Skye admitted with a smile.

"Why don't you give it a try?" he asked. "If I'm going to be training you anyways, you might as well start now."

"I'm getting trained? All I was told was that I'd learn how to use a gun. And that was Kaminsky's job."

Ward shrugged. "Bonus lesson of how to stay fit and disarm a man taught by someone who actually knows what he's doing."

"That sounds like effort," Skye frowned. "A little too much considering I don't really want to be here. I just want information on myself."

"It could come in handy. To be an agent, you need drive. Every agent has a moment when they realize that they really want this."

Skye sighed loudly. "Fine. Teach me the basics. But only because I have nothing better to do right now."

Ward nodded.

* * *

He had her do push-ups and sit-ups. She hadn't done exercises like that since gym class in highschool, before she dropped out. Her body was not ready for that work. After twenty minutes, her arms ached and she just wanted to nap. He said he would have her do pull-ups too, but they obviously didn't have a bar for that. She was thankful for that.

He had her practice boxing, punching his open palms. He didn't seem to feel pain, but she wasn't exactly punching that hard either.

"Keep your arms up," he said at least sixty times. "I know it's the hardest part, but that's the main trick to boxing."

"I hate this." Skye groaned and blew her hair out of her face.

"You're doing great," he said in an encouraging tone and Skye couldn't detect any sarcasm.

She brightened a bit. "Am I actually?"

He nodded. "Sure. When you cut the attitude and actually focus and remember to -" he pushed her elbows up "-keep your arms up, you're pretty good."

Skye beamed. "Did you just compliment me?"

He sort of smiled. "Well, no, it was more of a general truth to keep your spirits up."

"So a compliment and, oh, is that a smile? Wow, a compliment and a smile!" She pretended to be moved.

Her teasing made him awkwardly smile more and she grinned, almost coaxing him to give a full smile.

Shaking his head, he quickly regained his focus.

"Okay, now let's work on disarming people," he said, holding out his hand awkwardly as if he was holding an invisible gun. "Um, pretend I have a gun."

"You're teaching me about guns without a gun?" Skye asked, eyebrows raised.

"They stripped me of any weapons, I told you that. Do you have a better plan?"

"Well, no..."

He smirked. "Pretend I have a gun. Your goal is to get control of it." He held the invisible gun out as if he was going to shoot her.

Skye nodded and cracked her knuckles.

"How will you get the gun?" he asked her.

"Kick your shins then twist your arm back until you drop it?" she offered.

Ward looked offended at that. "Oh goodness no. I mean, as a last resort, maybe, but not as plan A."

"Well then you tell me, Mr. Know It All," Skye said.

"No, I'll show you," Ward decided. "Pretend to hold a gun at me."

She did and before she knew it, Ward had grabbed her arm and hands and turned so he was right in front if her. Her face came just at the base of the back of his neck. He seemed taller when they were that close. This was as close as they'd ever been and it was weird. Her hand was being held weirdly by his but she didn't have control of the make believe gun anymore.

Ward then let go of her hand and turned back to face her. "Now you try. I'll walk you through it."

"This doesn't look too hard," Skye commented.

He pointed an imaginary gun at her. "Grab my wrist and lift it over your head. Go under and spin so your back is to me."

"Ah, like dancing," Skye said with a smirk.

"I don't dance," Ward replied with a slightly annoyed growl.

"I'm sure you can do the robot quite well."

He didn't reply but she heard him exhale loudly through his nose.

"Sorry, go on," she sighed. He must be allergic to fun.

"Once you've done the first step, you have to actually get ahold of the gun. Twist the thumb, pull on the barrel."

"Which part is the barrel?"

"This thing," Ward said, trying to motion on their imaginary gun. "I'll show you when we have a real gun. Now, give it a try."

Skye nodded and took a breath. Ward still had the invisible gun aimed right at her head. She looked at him and he nodded when their eyes met. Go.

Skye grabbed his forearm and lifted it up so she could duck under. Spinning on her heel, her back was right against him. She could feel his chest move as he breathed and she could feel his breath on the side of her head. Their right arms were aligned as they both pretended to hold the gun. It was like an odd hug. She was too focused the first time when he did it because it happened so fast but now as she's going slower, she's noticing how awkward it is. Taking a breath and glancing at her hand still wrapped around his wrist, she continued the process.

Skye grabbed his thumb and twisted it then mimed her palm on what was supposedly the barrel. Ward's hand had been forced away and she now had control of the imaginary gun. She spun again now that she faced him an pointed the gun at him.

"Bang," she said, pretending to shoot.

"Guns don't go 'bang'," he deadpanned.

"I wouldn't know, I've never got a chance to shoot one!"

Ward chuckled. "All in due time. Though you're weird for wanting to shoot. Killing isn't easy mentally."

Skye sighed. "Yes, well, I've spent so many years trying to find myself that I'll do anything."

Ward held up a pretend gun again at her. "Come on, do it again."

* * *

They played more cards. She made more sarcastic comments. He didn't reply much. She smiled a lot. He sometimes looked slightly amused. She laughed loudly. He snickered a few times. But they were all that they had and they both made due.

Just when they started to get tired, did they stop.

"It must be late. I'm tired. But all the physical stuff I did today must also be taking a tole."

"Then sleep. You can have the cot again," Ward said.

She smiled at him. "Nope. A deal is a deal. I get the floor tonight."

He looked like he wanted to protest so she stood up and moved to sit in an empty area on the floor.

She lay down on her side and didn't face him. "Goodnight, Ward."

"Night, Skye," he said and she heard him move to lie down on the cot. It creaked under his weight.

She tried to fall asleep. A few minutes ago she was yawning and now she was wide awake. And she knew why. She was cold. Unfortunately, the only things there were in the room were their two bulky bullet proof vests and those would be weird to cover herself with and probably not keep her warm anyways. She quietly sat up and looked around the room. Maybe there was a vent that was warm? Or one that was the source of the cold that she could move away from.

There was one vent on the ceiling in the far corner. She stood up and quietly moved to stand under it. Sure enough, she felt cool air coming from it.

"What on earth are you doing?" Ward's voice came.

"Finding the source of the cold air," Skye told him. She turned to look at him. "Are you freezing?"

"I'm a little cold, but not freezing."

"All that muscle keeping you insulated, no doubt," Skye smirked, she walked back to the spot she was lying in before.

Ward shifted around. "Skye, come here."

"What?"

"Lie down here...with me."

Skye couldn't form words. Did he just say what she thought he said? But yes, there he was, waiting for her to move or answer.

He beckoned her over. "This way you can stay warm and I won't feel bad for letting you sleep on the floor. You're tiny, you'll fit."

Skye blushed a bit and went to the cot. It was super tight and they were awkwardly spooning, but she felt immediately warmer.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem," he mumbled in her ear.

* * *

**A/N**

**One full chapter of Skyeward. Hehe I enjoyed writing this. The next one will have more drama and action and stuff. Speaking of the next chapter, I think I'll be posting every Friday. So keep an eye out.**

**Are you all liking this so far? What are the chances I can get to 50 reviews by next Friday? Your reviews and thoughts are always so awesome to read and, I'm sure every writer says it, but they motivate me. :P Anyways, until next time! **


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, or what Skye assumed was morning, she and Ward were going through the gun disarming thing she had learned the day before. Ward had insisted they practice multiple times so it's ingrained in her brain. Skye had slept well and couldn't use lack of sleep as an excuse to get out of it.

Just as she had spun and was pressed up against Ward, there was a loud bang and the door of the room burst open. Ward pushed Skye aside and held up his fists, ready to defend. She moved to stand behind him.

Standing in the doorway was John Garrett. He had an annoyed look on his face, yet still looked slightly insane.

"Well if it isn't Ward. And look, Skye too. Should have figured you'd have run off with her, Ward," he said. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and threw it at Ward, who wordlessly caught it.

"We didn't run off," Skye said because she suddenly felt like she had to defend herself.

"I'm just teasing," Garrett said to her. Then he turned back to Ward. "You caused me quite a bit of heck when I found you hadn't returned. I was, for a moment, worried about you, Ward."

"Touching," Ward replied dryly.

Garrett's smirk faded and he narrowed his eyes at Ward in a daring way. "Before I let you go, tell me, this bunch of inane do-gooders weren't your weakness, were they, Ward?"

Ward's face grew to a frown and his jaw tensed. "No."

"Ah, that's what I like to hear!" He gave Ward a hefty pat on the back then turned to leave. Skye and Ward were quick to follow. She was eager to get out of that room, even if she was probably being led into danger and she wasn't given a gun.

"Stay close," Ward whispered to Skye.

Garrett led them down the hall. Garrett walked loudly, lumbering around as if he didn't care for any possible threats. Ward walked lightly behind, Skye noticed, as if he couldn't walk loudly if he tried. She tired to keep a light pace too.

"What's going on here, John?" Ward asked. "Where's Coulson?"

"Hydra is taking over! Raina failed to get the info we need before so now we're trying again. This time, Deathlok and I are here and things are going great. We've got all of Coulson's little gang and they're separated and at gunpoint. Raina is on their computer now. Mission is going perfectly. Do you smell that, guys? It's the smell of a Hydra success!"

Raina was on their computers? Skye's heart leapt. Maybe she'd be getting her files today!

"How long were we in there for?" Skye asked Garrett.

"Almost three days," he replied said. They came to the computer lab. "Okay, so, Ward, come with me. Skye, you can take over one of our captives. That Simmons is pretty harmless, and if she's any trouble, just threaten her with the death of her little nerd brother."

"He's not her brother," Ward said, but looked away as if mentally reprimanding himself.

"Does it look like I care?" Garrett almost laughed. He gave Skye a gun. "She's being held in the lounge."

Skye turned, hoping she was turning in the direction of the lounge because she still had no idea where she was headed.

"Skye, wait!" Ward grabbed her arm. He pointed to her gun and leaned down to whisper to her, their foreheads almost touching. "This part is the barrel. And hold steady if you need to fire and look along the gun to aim. Stay safe and don't hurt anyone."

Skye was sure he put extra emphasis on the last word, but his eyes didn't give himself away. Or maybe that's why he refused to make eye contact with her.

She nodded and then hurried off.

The lounge was a large area kind of in the middle of everything, so she found it easily. That girl Jemma who she encountered earlier was there, her feet bound and her hands were tied behind her to the foot of the couch. She looked alarmed when Skye came in, but was the only one in the room.

"Wait, are you Simmons or Jemma?" Skye asked.

"Both. Jemma Simmons, full name," she replied in a small voice. She had tear stains on her face, Skye could see as she got closer.

Skye nodded and held the gun to her. Just like last time, she had to at least pretend she knew what she was doing. And this time, she had the upper hand.

"Do you know if Fitz is alive?" Simmons asked carefully.

"No."

"What about Coulson or May or Trip?"

"No. In case you don't remember, you and your people locked Ward and I in your weird cold room for days."

Simmons paused, then looked at Skye. She looked like he had a burning question to ask. "So Ward is alive? And really Hydra?"

"Yup. That must have been a shocker, huh? He told me how he was undercover. Crazy."

"Unfathomable," Simmons sighed. "And now look at the mess we're in."

"Right, so, how high up are you in SHIELD? Do you have access to everything?"

"Level seven."

"Never mind," Skye said. This girl was useless to her. Skye still held the gun to her though.

After a few moments of silence, Simmons spoke again quietly. "You can stop me if I'm overstepping, but how did you get involved with Hydra?" she asked, almost cowering in fear of being shot.

"They can get me what I need," Skye said nonchalantly. "I'm not really Hydra."

"What is it you need? A miracle drug too?"

"What do you mean 'too'?"

Simmons shook her head and started stuttering awkwardly. "I think, um, someone, I don't know who, needs some medicine or, um, information about it, or something. I know, uh, nothing about it."

Skye smirked. "You're an awful liar."

Simmons sighed and laughed a bit. "So I've been told." She looked utterly disappointed in herself. Skye giggled.

Okay, so she's known this girl for like ten minutes, but she hardly seems like a bad person. And she had been hesitant to shoot Skye before, so she can't be too hardcore.

"What do you do for SHIELD?" Skye asked, just making casual conversation because she was bored and knew she's probably lost any hope of seeming like a tough guard. Plus, she was curious.

"I'm a biochem scientist," Simmons said proudly.

"Nerd," Skye muttered, in a teasing tone.

Simmons pretended to look offended. "It's cool! To know and understand how beings work is magical. And so applicable. I love it."

Skye smiled. "Suit yourself. And who am I to judge the neediness of hobbies? I am a hacker."

"Are you? That's really cool. I can deal with computer basics, which I guess is pretty high in SHIELD's standards, but Fitz is way better with them than me. He's an engineer. But you're probably specialized in it."

"I guess. I mean, there were higher ups, but Garrett and Raina said I made good time on the test I did, and Ward said I was one of the best."

At the mention of Ward and Garrett, Simmons lost the somewhat calm attitude she had. She frowned and looked sad again. Touchy subject, it seemed.

Skye shrugged. They were on opposing sides after all. She shouldn't feel remorse. No one else seems to.

Before Skye had a chance to even think about what to say next, a loud explosion went off and the plane shook. Then there was the sound of gunshots.

Skye's held her gun up and turned to the doorways. She hurried to the left one and peeked out down the hall. She heard commotion and shots, but couldn't see anyone. She took a few tentative steps forward. Figuring it was probably safer for her to not get in the way, she turned and hurried back to the area where Simmons was.

But Simmons wasn't alone now. There was a man in a suit there and he was trying to cut her bounds. He had been there before Skye was shot with the ICER. What did Ward say his name was? Oh, yes, Coulson, who was 'truly a good man'.

"Stop, or I'll shoot," Skye said loudly, her gun aimed right at his heart. Even if he was a good man, he was trying to help her assigned captive escape and she was sure Hydra wouldn't be pleased with that.

Coulson sighed and froze.

"Drop the knife," Skye said and he reluctantly did. "Sit down." He did that too.

"Coulson, this is Skye," Simmons said in a shaky voice. She was pretty brave to speak now after the commotion. Or was she comfortable because Skye was hardly menacing?

"You know her?" Coulson asked, surprised. Unlike Simmons, though, he looked relatively calm.

"No. We were talking," Simmons said but then likely realized how silly it was to be conversing with the person holding you captive because she looked down sadly.

Coulson sighed but looked at Skye. "So you're working with Ward and Hydra? What's that like? To know you're on the bad side that is killing good people?"

Skye chuckled. "I haven't done any killing yet. You could be my first," she added, enjoying how tough she sounded. Good line. "And before you get all judge-y why don't you think about how you guys put me in prison and then shot me before locking me in a closet for three days."

"It wasn't a closet, it was a specially designed holding cell and interrogation room with indestructible wall panelling and bomb sensors," Simmons corrected.

Skye flipped her hair. It needed a combing, but that was irrelevant now. "Whatever. So of course I'll work with the guys that got me out and recognize my skills and promised me what I need."

"Skills?" Coulson asked.

"I'm a hacker, and the best one," Skye said smugly.

"Are you? Cool. You're in the right age and business for it," Coulson said. That was a nice and harmless comment. Skye smiled.

"And how high up are you in SHIELD?" Skye asked.

Coulson shrugged. "Maybe the top now."

Skye's eyes widened. "Really? So you have access to everything? All the files?" So Simmons was useles but was this guy who she needed? Skye held her breath.

"Well, I can't at the moment. Due to our little feud with you, things are complicated, so I can't just log on to a computer and search through the databases. I don't even know if the databases still exist."

Skye frowned. Could all the info be gone? All her files? Are they nonexistent now? Would she be able to get them back? Was all this for nothing?

* * *

**A/N**

**Not much to say. Hope you're still enjoying it! Tell me what you think! Love ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

Skye stood with the gun pointed at Coulson and Simmons still.

"So what was that commotion?" Skye asked, referring to the explosion and gun shots that had gone off right before Coulson had joined her watch. It was no coincidence that he showed up just after it.

Coulson merely shrugged. "I am not the Clairvoyant," he said.

What did that even mean? Probably some SHIELD lingo she didn't know. Skye sighed and pointed the gun a little more towards him.

A few minutes passed before another small explosion went off somewhere in the plane. Skye looked at the doorway, but this time didn't leave. Last time she left for half a second, Coulson came. Fool me once...

She glanced at Coulson. His eyes flickered to the other doorway as if he was waiting for someone. He didn't look concerned about the explosion.

It became clear as to why. A minute later, a man appeared in the doorway. He held a gun to Skye, so he wasn't Hydra. He was the one who Skye ran into before she was shot with the ICER. Did Ward mention his name?

"Good job, Trip," Coulson said, standing up because Skye had turned and pointed her gun at Trip now. Coulson cut Simmons free and helped her up too.

"Where's Fitz and May?" Simmons asked.

Trip shrugged. "I don't know."

Skye didn't know what to do or say. She didn't want to shoot, but was she just going to let them all get away?

Coulson took the knife he just used to free Simmons and stabbed the couch cushion. He tore back the leather and the foam padding and pulled out two small guns. He handed one to Simmons and kept the other for himself. Well, now Skye was horribly outnumbered. Luckily, they all had bigger issues than her because Simmons and Coulson ran off, probably to go find May and Fitz. Trip, however, kept his gun pointed at Skye. Unlike Simmons and Coulson, he didn't look friendly and her blabber probably couldn't soften him up. He glared at her, so she did her best to glare back. It probably wasn't very intimidating though.

Fortunately, she didn't have to glare for very long, because Trip suddenly looked up behind her and his look of ferocity turned to a look of fear. He shot past Skye a bit, so she took the chance to duck out of the way and just watch Trip rapid fire at someone who came in the room. He was a black man, but his face was all wrinkly and raw as if he was almost skinned alive. His head was the only part of his body that was visible. The rest of his body was covered in a suit that looked bullet proof and almost robotic. His arm had a gun attached to it and shot in the same way Iron Man's suit did. But she didn't have a chance to be impressed or even scared because she suddenly realized who this odd man was. It was Mike Peterson, who she had encountered in LA five months ago.

"Mike!" Skye yelped.

Mike Peterson looked over, surprised to be called that. Now that she got a better look at his face, she was rather startled to see that his right eye looked unnaturally orange and bright. She almost expected lasers to shoot out.

Even Trip seemed surprised by Skye's outburst; he lowered his guard for a second and in that second, Mike stepped forward and punched him out with his metal arm. Trip fell back onto the floor, but Skye was sure he was just unconscious and still alive. He wasn't hit too hard. She hoped.

"Mike, what happened to you?" Skye asked.

Mike didn't look at her. "Bad things," he replied. "And I'm not Mike anymore. Mike is dead. I'm Deathlok now."

Deathlok. Garrett had mentioned him. And Ward had mentioned him. And she had mentioned Mike to Ward when they were exchanging stories. Did Ward know that this had happened to Mike?

"So you're with Hydra?" Skye asked. He seemed tough. An ally like that was probably good.

"Not by choice," he replied. "I didn't want any of this."

"Then why are you here?"

Mike closed his eyes as if the answer was too painful to say.

And Skye knew what it was.

"Ace. It has to do with Ace, right?" Ace was his son who she had met when she first met Mike. He was a cute kid, maybe six years old. "Is Ace okay?" Skye pressed.

"I don't know," Mike answered angrily. "Skye, things got crazy." He still didn't look at her. He kept his eyes focused on the motionless body of Trip.

Skye frowned. She partially felt a bit of guilt here. It was because of her that Mike was first seen by SHIELD.

"Tell me."

"SHIELD sent me to a camp to train so I could be used for good. Ace stayed with my sister. But then Coulson and his team got into trouble and I was recruited to help. Centipede kidnapped Ace and while we all tried to get him back, Coulson was kidnapped and I was basically blown up. I awoke in some coffin-like chamber and some man named Ian Quinn had made me into this, a monster machine. But the worst part is that my eyes have been rewired. There's someone watching and controlling me through my eyes."

"Which is why you aren't looking at me," Skye concluded in a shaky voice.

"Ace is not safe and I'm being used by Hydra," Mike said in conclusion. "I'm a monster now, Skye."

Skye wanted to cry. Mike's ordeal was a whole lot worse than her months in The Fridge, and she had wanted into SHIELD while he did not. That was pretty unfair, and it ticked off the social justice activist in her. And poor Ace, put in danger and cut off from his father when he is just a little boy.

Skye took a deep breath. "Mike-"

"Deathlok."

"No, you're still Mike to me. I know you're still good inside," she said firmly. "Mike, I'll do my best to find out where Ace is. Ward would know." Hopefully Ward would be able to help.

"Skye?" a loud voice echoed in the bus.

"Speak of the devil" she said, recognizing Ward's voice. She hurried off in the direction of his call and bumped into him in a hallway.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "There was an...issue."

"The explosions?"

"Yeah, that was Trip and Coulson's plan to escape." Ward sounded bitter.

"It worked...well, sort of. Simmons and Coulson are loose but Trip was knocked out by Mike Peterson, or, should I say, Deathlok, as he likes to be called now." She couldn't help but frown. Ward looked very unaffected by the accusatory tone in her voice. "I take it you know the details of Mike's transformation?"

He shrugged. "I guess, yeah."

His lack of interest suddenly annoyed her. "And you're okay with that? Did you know he has a son, Ward? Ace. He's like six. Do you know where this kid is?"

"Why are you getting mad at me?" Ward asked, frowning at her.

"I chose this path," Skye said. "I chose to get involved with SHIELD and Hydra because I need information on myself. You chose your path too. To follow Garrett blindly and betray your team." Okay, so she may have added that to make him feel guilty. "But Mike didn't choose this. He's killing machine now, and I mean that literally. That's not fair."

"Life's not fair, Skye. I think the two of us may know that better than a lot of people," Ward said, his voice softer.

"I don't care! Hydra did that to him and it's disgusting. He's a monster!"

Ward made a 'heh' sound, as if Skye's declaration was amusing. "Guess what, Skye? So am I. Ask Fitz or ask Simmons. Ask Trip. Ask anyone. I'm hardly any better than Deathlok anymore."

Skye poked his chest, but he didn't flinch. "But you had a choice, and you still do," she sighed. "And so do I, you know."

Ward was quiet.

Skye was quiet.

"I don't...think you're a monster," Skye said softly.

"Then you don't know me."

"No, I think I do."

* * *

Skye walked off and found Garrett. He was watching Raina fiddle with computers, looking extremely gruntled.

"Garrett," she said boldly. "We need to talk."

He didn't seem fazed by her tone or assertiveness. He walked over. "What's up, Skye?"

"Are you responsible for Mike Peterson's transformation?"

"Technically. He's a beaut, isn't he?" Garrett said.

"No! It's awful!" Skye shouted. "He's a father! His son is who-knows-where! And he's practically a machine now."

"He's become what many want to be," Garrett said. "Myself included."

"Let him go. Help him."

"Not a chance. He's an asset. Coulson and company don't compare to him."

Skye knew what she wanted to say, but said what she knew Garrett would want to hear. She was already walking a fine line now.

"Why is this Coulson the enemy?"

"Well, it's not Coulson as much as what he stands for. He's dedicated to SHIELD, and though I consider him a friend, he has to be destroyed for me to get to SHIELD."

Skye bit her lip. "Fine, but what about me? You said I was one of the best hackers here and so far, all I've done is hold a gun."

Garrett grinned and patted her shoulder roughly. "Don't you worry. All in due time. As soon as we get the info from Coulson's plane, we start getting into SHIELD's files. Coulson would rather die than help us, so that's why hackers like you will be the best thing."

Skye nodded. "And my files? What I'm here for?"

"They'll come. Soon," Garrett said. He turned to walk away, but then looked back at her. "You need to learn that in this business, death is common and you have no say. You also need to understand that I call the shots and I have no problems being tough. If you want equality and care, you're in the wrong place."

Skye didn't move. She knew that now. She was in the wrong place.

* * *

It wasn't an easy conclusion to come to. And as she walked through the hallways, she felt so stiff and robotic as if her body was trying to resist.

But before she had a chance to back out, she found herself looking at the unconscious body of Trip. Mike Peterson had left and Trip's body was simply slumped on the ground. Gingerly, she checked to see if he was breathing. He was, but he didn't respond or move to her gently shaking his head. Though it was quite a task to do so, she managed to haul up his body and drag it slowly down the hallway. She hoped he didn't wake up, because even in a post-unconscious haze, he could probably still beat her up.

After some struggle, she was glancing around the corner at Simmons, who was talking quietly to that Fitz guy.

Taking a deep breath, Skye turned the corner and put on a wide, friendly smile.

"Hey," she said, dragging out the 'y' and sounding like a silly teenager. "Help me with this loaf." She gave Trip another large tug, pulling him into view.

"Skye," Simmons said, looking very confused as to why she was there. She and Fitz both hurried to lift Trip up and place him on a makeshift table. "What is going on?" Skye saw her eyes look for a gun on Skye.

"I'm not going to shoot you, don't worry," Skye said. "I just brought you him. You said you were into science and biology stuff so you'll be able to deal with him."

"How did this happen?" Simmons asked, right away doing a check of his body for breathing and possible gashes.

"Deathlok got to him after you and Coulson split," Skye said. "Speaking of which, I also want to know your opinions on the transformation of Mike Peterson."

"What is this, a survey?" Fitz said frowning skeptically at her. Skye shook her head and waited for an answer.

"Well, what Mike had happen to him is just dreadful. We thought he was dead, and then he shows up as a Hydra pawn," Simmons said as she bandaged up a bumb on Trip's head. "And his poor son..."

"Do you know where Ace is?" Skye asked.

"No," Fitz said. He paused then asked, "How do you know Ace or Mike? He's known almost exclusively as Deathlok now."

"Uh, well, I was the reason that Mike got involved in SHIELD," Skye said. "I feel kind of responsible for what he's become. And I want to right some wrongs."

"How?" Fitz asked, in a slightly accusatory tone.

"SHIELD are the good guys, right? Let me help. I'm a great hacker and I also have Hydra intel." She gave a smile. Smiles were friendly.

Simmons glanced at Fitz, who glanced back at her.

"It's not our call," Simmons said after a moment. It was like she and Fitz could communicate through looks. Weird.

"It's Coulson's call, isn't it?" Skye had a feeling about that. He would probably be less likely to let her in, where Simmons seemed more likely to.

"Correct," a voice said and they all spun to see Coulson standing there. Next to him was May. Skye hadn't ever been able to get a good look at her, but now she could. May looked perpetually angry and her dark eyes stayed locked right on Skye.

"Coulson, she brought us Trip," Simmons said, motioning to the body.

"Alive?" May asked.

"Yes," Simmons said, but Skye said it as well.

She launched right into pleading her case. "Look, you're in a mess and so am I now. All I wanted was to know who I am, and now I'm on a team with murderers and mutants."

"Know who you are?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah, I got into hacking because I've been trying to find my parents, or who they were. I grew up in an orphanage and all my searches led to redacted SHIELD files. I need access to those."

"Which is why you asked me if I had access to all files," Coulson concluded. "Hmmm."

"I'm just going to say it: I don't trust her," Fitz said, his eyes meeting May and Simmons', as if he was looking for them to back him up.

"Fitz!" Simmons scolded him.

"No, he's right," Coulson said and held up a hand. He looked between Fitz and Skye. "We trusted Ward and look where that got us."

"Ward's just screwed up," Skye said but she didn't know why she said that. Why was she defending him to the people he betrayed? Bad move. "I'm not like him," she added quickly. "Really."

"Prove it," May said. "You're still with Hydra, right? If our calculations are correct, in ten minutes or so, Raina will have gone though all our files and Garrett will have all our info about the GH-325. His body is pretty messed up from all his old Deathlok operations so he'll probably need it for himself. Go find out if Raina actually gets the drug to work and if he uses it."

"You're having her do our dirty work?" Coulson asked. "May, she has a gun in her back pocket, not in her waistband, that's how unprofessional she is. She could die."

Skye made a face and quickly fixed that mistake.

May shrugged.

"I'll do it," Skye said firmly. "If that's how you'll let me help, I'll do it." She had no other option. May wouldn't budge. The good news was that she didn't have a sinking feeling in her stomach telling her she was making a bad choice.

Coulson sighed and patted her arm. "If you're sure...Good luck, Skye."

Skye gulped. "Thanks."

* * *

**A/N**

**Yay I cracked 50 reviews! Hoo-raaaay! Or, as Coulson said, "Boo-yeah!" Anyways, confession time. Last weekends, I had a brilliant idea for this story. It was such a great and cute plot twist and I blew my own mind...then I forgot the idea. I kid you not. So basically, if the rest of this story seems...weaker, it's because I've been struggling to think of an idea that could possibly top the awesome one that I forgot. I am so mad at myself. But I've came up with a few new good ideas...and who knows, maybe I'll remember the old idea!**

**Just a heads up, there is a chance that next week I may not update because I won't have the chapter ready. It's exam time and I've been super busy with projects and things, so I haven't started the next chapter like I normally have by now. I'll do my best to get it up, but if not, it's because I've been working hard and hitting the books. **

**Love you all more than Fitz loves monkeys!**


	9. Chapter 9

Skye slowly made her way back to Garrett and Raina. Sure enough, Raina has just cracked the code in terms of the drug, which Skye now knew was called GH-325 and it was a miracle drug that supposedly brought the dead back to life. Obviously, she knew how dangerous that could be in the wrong hands.

Raina was fiddling with needles and test tubes when Skye came in slowly. Ward was there too, standing close to Garrett and looking rather worried, as was Mike Peterson, only he didn't look worried; he looked angry. Kaminsky was also there, gun in hand. There were also several other Hydra people standing around, looking kind of bored. Two people were playing Rock-Paper-Scissors in the corner.

"Why is everyone just standing here?" Skye whispered to Kaminsky. "Like, where's Coulson and his team?"

Kaminsky gave a smile. "Somewhere. It's a plane, there's only so many places they can be. They're probably huddled in a closet somewhere trying to figure out how to do the impossible."

"Why are we not finding them and killing them?"

"What for? We just need the plane's computer and info. If they want us, they can come to us, and I don't think that's going to happen. Who's stupid enough to try and just walk in here and take down Hydra when we're all standing here armed?"

Skye's breath hitched. She was.

"S-so what's Raina doing?" Skye asked, watching as Raina looked through a microscope.

"Trying to duplicate the drug," Kaminsky said as if it was obvious. He looked weirdly at her. "Where have you been?"

"Bathroom," Skye lied. "It took me forever to find one. I was starting to think it didn't exist." She offered a weak smile.

Kaminsky looked like he was going to reply, but was distracted by Raina smirking proudly and whispering something to Ward.

Ward then looked up at all the Hydra men. "Everyone out. Now," he demanded in a loud, firm voice.

Without questions, they started to file out. Skye, however, stayed put, keeping her eyes on that drug.

"Skye, go," Ward said in a less authoritative tone than before, but still firmly.

Skye pouted. Sure, it was a weak attempt, but she was kind of desperate.

She should have known that Ward could withstand a pout and some puppy dog eyes. He just stared at her with a look so fierce and unwavering that she knew she had to leave. She turned and left the lab through the door. But she didn't go far. The door closed behind her, but if she pressed her ear to the crack, she could make out voices.

"Are you ready?" Raina.

"Yup. Do it." Garrett.

There was some silence.

"John?" That was Ward, sounding concerned.

"Well? What do you feel?" Raina.

"The universe." Garrett now sounded different. His voice was raspier but he sounded excited.

Right then, the plane lurched awkwardly. Skye didn't fall over, but she was scared for half a second. Just as she wondered what that was, she got her answer.

"We've landed," Garrett said. "And perfect timing. We have a meeting with some US officials and I'd love to try out my new body and mind."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ward asked.

"Ward, I see things now. I know things. This is it!"

It was it for Skye too. She turned and hurried back to where she had left Coulson and May and that group. She had to walk by Hydra people inconspicuously, but eventually she made it back to the small, closet like room they were using as a base.

"Well?" May asked, cutting right to the chase.

"It worked and he has it in him. It's apparently doing something crazy to him."

"Just what we need...a crazier Garrett," Coulson sighed.

"And the plane has landed because he's meeting US officials," Skye said.

A collective sigh rose from the group.

"Well, you did good, Skye," Coulson said, giving her a kind smile. "Thanks."

Skye beamed.

"But your work isn't over yet. Somehow, we have to take down Garrett," May said.

Skye walked over to where Simmons and Fitz were still trying to help Trip. His eyes were closed, but he moved. He must have woken up.

"How is he?" Skye asked.

"Okay," Simmons said. "He woke up but is still in pain. It's hard to help when I don't have the tools I need."

"But he'll be okay, right?" Skye asked.

"Yeah. Trip is a trooper," Fitz said.

"A super trooper, more like it," Trip mumbled weakly.

"Oh jeeze, did you reference an ABBA song?" Skye laughed, and Fitzsimmons snickered.

"Don't judge me, I'm hurt," Trip said but smiled. "And ABBA is cool."

* * *

A plan was set. As soon as Trip was up and moving, which he said he'd be able to do in a few minutes, they'd ambush. Hopefully the task of meeting with US officials will be enough of a distraction and they'd be successful. May figured that since they knew the plane better than anyone, they could all try going a different way so it'll be harder to stop.

Before Skye left to rejoin her ex-Hydra pals, Coulson made them all realize that this is maybe a life or death mission. Simmons instigated a group hug and Skye was pulled into it. It was warm and Skye felt the bond that they had. It was weird; they don't do that over with Hydra. Actually, the mind picture of Ward, Garrett, Raina and Kaminsky bringing it in for a team hug was really quite amusing.

Skye then returned to the Hydra group. They were waiting by the plane's exit to greet the US officials. Garrett was there, looking more psycho than normal. His eyes were wide and his grin was very clown-like. And not the happy kiddie clown.

When the ramp lowered, there were four men, three of which were in military jackets. They looked strict and professional. The fourth man looked younger and dressed nicer.

"Welcome, welcome," Garrett said, stepping forward.

The nicely dressed dude shook hands with Garrett first. It seemed they knew each other beforehand, but the other military jacket people did not. Skye watched as Garrett, Ward and nicely dressed dude led the three men into the plane. Skye and the other insignificant Hydra people stood there at the side, trying to look important and official. The only Hydra member who didn't was Raina. She hurried off the plane before the door closed. Skye was curious but had bigger and better things to do.

When they were gone into the lab, Skye made sure no one was watching and then ducked off down a dark hallway. She pulled out a little communicator from her pocket. Coulson had given it to her before she left.

"They're here," Skye said in a quiet voice. "Garrett led them somewhere."

"See if you can follow and make sure the area is clear," May instructed.

Skye glanced in the direction they went. "Uh...okay."

Slowly, doing her best to make her walk seem casual, she made her way towards the hall that they had went down. She found them in the computer room. But what she saw shocked her. Garrett had his arm literally shoved in the gut of one of the military guys and was lifting him off the ground. There was blood all up Garrett's arm and the man he had looked about ready to die. The fancy dressed guy didn't look too phased by this. The other military guys looked seriously scared and were backing away. Ward's face was the most amusing. He didn't look scared, he was mostly concerned and grossed out. Even more so when Garrett ripped the dude's rib out.

Skye felt like throwing up. If this was a movie, it'd be blurred out.

Luckily, she was distracted by the faint vibration that came from the little communicator. She pulled it out from her pocket.

"Yeah?"

"Skye? What's happening?" May asked

"Um, Garrett ripped this guy's rib out and it's super gross."

In the background she could hear Coulson ask in disbelief, "He did WHAT?"

"Where are they, Skye?" May asked her.

"The room with the cool computer system," Skye said.

"Alright, Skye, stay alert. Coulson, Triplet and I are loading our guns as we speak. Ambush in five," May told her.

"What about Simmons and Fitz?" Skye asked.

"They're not field agents," May said simply. "So they'll be back up if needed."

In the background, Skye heard Simmons' British accent. "Ask Skye what her blood type is."

Then she heard Fitz. "Simmons, normal people don't always know it."

"Skye, do you know your blood type?" May asked.

Skye chuckled. "O positive. Tell Fitz I'm not a normal person."

Skye could practically hear Simmons' smile in the background. "Oh, perfect, that's the most common."

"Okay then, see you soon, Skye," May said. "Good luck."

"You too," Skye said, then clicked off the communicator and shoved it back into her pocket.

She peeked back into the room where Garrett and Ward were. Garrett was still brutally torturing that man, but he was limp now. It was more to scare the other guys, it seemed. Skye glanced at Ward. He was not looking at the body at all, was just staring down. He looked uncomfortable.

Then, as if he could feel Skye's gaze, he looked up. She tried to duck down out of sight, but she knew he saw her. There was no escape. What if he kills her? Would be do that? No, this is Ward who she played fifteen hours of cards with.

"Skye," he said quietly as he came into the hallway. "You shouldn't be here."

Skye offered a smile. "What can I say? I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Well, you've kicked the kids out of the grown up conversation and it's weird."

"It's also not my call," Ward said. To be honest, he looked relieved to be having a casual, unstressful conversation. He seemed more relaxed than he looked when he was playing Garrett's shadow.

"So Garrett's gone mad, huh?" Skye asked, grinning. Ward almost smiled a bit. Almost.

"He's getting used to the drug and expressing himself in unorthodox ways."

Skye shrugged. She just remembered that Coulson and May and Trip would be around soon. And things would not go over well if she was found talking with Ward. She had to find a way to get Ward away.

"You should go back," Skye said slowly. "I promise I won't peek in anymore."

Ward rubbed his face and nodded. "See you around then."

"Yeah. Have fun." Skye gave a small and weird wave.

"Stay safe," he said before turning to go back in the room.

"Bye, Ward," Skye said and she meant it because who knows what was going to happen in approximately two minutes.

* * *

It happened faster than she knew. Coulson came creeping down her hallway. He whispered that May was at the opposite hallway and Trip was going to come in one minute, to stagger the attacks a bit. And then they were attacking. Coulson and May both burst in, shooting at Garrett and the fancy dressed guy. Skye and Ward both had guns out but weren't shooting. Skye was just watching it all go down. Garrett didn't seem hurt by the ICER he was shot with. Within moments, several Hydra men came running over at the sound of the gun shots. And then there were seven of them, all shooting. At first, Skye was hesitant to pull the trigger. Her finger hovered over it and she shook. But when she saw a gun pointed at her, she closed her eyes, aimed for the dude's knees, and squeezed. There was recoil and she almost fell back, but she stabilized herself. The guy she shot fell to the ground, dropping his large gun. Skye kicked it away from his reach. Woah, she just shot a gun. Cool.

Amidst the flying bullets, she saw Garrett and Coulson in a one-on-one battle. Coulson wasn't even shooting, he was almost climbing on top of Garrett's back. Garrett was trying to get him off and in the process of doing so, they stumbled out of the room. And everyone just kind of followed. The Hydra men wanted to stay close to Garrett while Skye, May and Trip wanted to stay close to Coulson. So the battle just moved down to the place where the floor lowered to be a door and the US Officials had come in. The space was much larger.

And that's when things got real for Skye. She witnessed Garrett forcefully toss Coulson across the room and as she turned to go hurry to help him up, she saw a man come out from behind a bunch of boxes and go to Coulson. But she didn't even have a second to think about that because then there was a blinding pain in her upper right thigh. She was shot and not with an ICER. She went down with a gasp.

Ward was at her side in an instant.

"Skye? Skye, stay with me," he said, applying pressure to the bullet wound and pushing her hair out of her face.

It hurt. It hurt like she couldn't even describe. It felt like her thigh was hit with Captain America's shield and then brutally punched by Hulk. And the blood. Oh, there was so much blood. Like, was there any blood left in her body? Probably. She was just overreacting, which she was allowed to do because dang that hurts!

"Skye, come on, you're okay," Ward said. "Say something."

"I'm in pain," Skye mumbled. "Immense pain."

Ward breathed a chuckle and tried to apply more pressure. That hurt too. Maybe it was from the pain or the loss of blood, but Skye felt herself going out. She couldn't keep her eyes open and she was floating in and out of consciousness. She felt Ward carefully pick her up while he muttered, "Come on, come on, stay awake, you're so pale, come on..."

She was carried somewhere but she didn't know where because she blacked out for a but. She heard a British accent.

"Ward! What are you doing here?" Simmons sounded afraid and angry.

"You need to help her. She got a bullet to the leg," Ward said stiffly.

"You're a filthy traitor, Ward!" Fitz said from somewhere in the small room.

Ward didn't reply, but Skye felt herself being set down on some table of some sorts. It was probably the same thing that she and Simmons had put Trip on.

"Please help her," Ward said.

"And why should we?" Simmons demanded. "You don't deserve anything from us."

Skye heard Ward hesitate before saying, "Don't do this for me. Do it for her. She's innocent in this."

She couldn't see, but Skye imagined Simmons was glaring at him.

"Is the lab empty?" Simmons asked, probably to Ward. There was silence and Skye guessed that he nodded, but she might have just blanked out and missed the reply.

"Fitz, take a gun and try to get some O positive blood and some supplies from the lab. And please, be careful," Simmons said. Skye heard a gun click and Fitz hurry off as quietly as he could.

"Hold on," Skye heard Ward say. "You know her blood type?"

Simmons chuckled. "You're not the only traitor, Ward."

And then Skye let her mind go to the darkness. It didn't hurt as much that way.

* * *

**A/N**

**As it turns out, writing fanfics is a great way to procrastinate the studying for exams that I should probably be doing! **

**Um, so the next chapter is probably going to be the last one. Yes, my first ever SHIELD fic is coming to an end! Crazy! And what's crazier is the awesome love I've gotten! Y'all are awesome! **

**See you next time!**

**P.S. I know that on the show the finale takes place mostly in some warehouse building or something, but I decided to keep it all on the plane for this because it was easier. Also, I didn't include Fitzsimmons' drowning like in the show because a) it didn't fit with this story and b) too painful. You're welcome**.


End file.
